


Not a Typical Night

by crescent_gaia



Category: Vampire: The Masquerade
Genre: Multi, pre-Gehenna
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 15:22:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8850124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crescent_gaia/pseuds/crescent_gaia
Summary: It's just not a typical night for the trio.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Umbralpilot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Umbralpilot/gifts).



> Please enjoy. :)

Beckett sighed as he looked over his notes for the thousandth time. He was close to finding a page of the Book, thanks to Lucita’s confirming of rumors from another Lasombra, and one of his own clan. There was just one problem in that it felt like it was too easy. Too easy that someone else hadn’t already gotten the page but yet it still stayed where it was. It was in a museum in Madrid, just under their noses, and not impossible to get. He sighed as he went over the plans of the place one more time, seeing where the piece was in the archives, and a list of the names of people who could get him in. 

He looked up from his nose as a goblet of blood was placed down in the center of his notes. He smiled and leaned back in his chair as Lucita kissed his forehead. “Thank you.”

“Anatole said that you’ve been holed up in here for a week straight while I’ve been seeing to business,” she said. “He’s worried.”

“There’s no reason to be and he could have come up here too.” He sighed, taking the goblet, and drank it straight down. It warmed him, waking him up, and he glanced over the mess.

“You don’t trust the information right in front of you. It’s been there two weeks now and they’re holding it for you. You just have to get off your ass and go get it.”

He sighed. “There’s too many questions in my mind. Like how easy it is to get in and how nobody will miss the page. Also how others haven’t noticed and come for it already.”

“Helps when you’re in charge of the city and the Toreador in charge of the archives owes me a huge boon.” She chuckled. “She is more than happy to hold the page for as long as you want but she can’t take it out herself. Too many questions.”

He nodded. “Alright. What does Anatole say?”

“Come and ask him for yourself.” She kissed his forehead once more before leaving the room.

“I could,” he said. He sat up straight, getting out of the chair, and turning out the lights. Walking downstairs, he noticed Anatole in his favorite spot on the couch. Beckett grinned and went over, laying down on the couch so his head was in Anatole’s lap. 

Anatole grinned. “Finally came out?”

“You sent our lady to get me, in a way, so yes.” Beckett took hold of Anatole’s hand and kissed it. “You could have come up there.”

“You were in a mood, so no.” Anatole sighed. “You shouldn’t go alone. I don’t care that it’s Lucita’s city, you should take someone with you. Even if it’s me.”

Beckett grinned. “Why, Anatole, if I didn’t know better, I would say you were worried.”

“Be nice,” Lucita said as she sat down in her chair.

“Make me,” Beckett said.

“That would make the evening interesting, to say the least,” Anatole said. “You – “ He gasped, holding on tightly to Beckett’s hand enough to make the bones break.

Beckett winced but said nothing, looking up at the Malkavian. Unlike other visions, there were no words of wisdom. Just the vice grip and staring ahead at the sight that was only meant for him to see. The Visions got worse after the Week of Nightmares, sometimes locking in his friend and lover for up to a week at a time, but this seemed to be ending sooner than later. The vice grip loosened and Anatole seemed to be returning to normal. 

“Anatole?” Lucita asked cautiously.

“Same as before,” Anatole said, blinking a few times, and looked down at Beckett. “Sorry for your hand.”

“Nothing that can’t be healed,” Beckett said, sitting up to allow the Malkavian some space if he wanted it. He was never sure about the moods that Anatole had after a vision and neither was Lucita. What they both agreed on was to give Anatole space and see what he wanted in the end. Which, at the moment, was pulling Beckett into a hug. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yes,” Anatole said quietly. “And I’m sorry. For everything.”

Lucita sighed. “Please tell him he doesn’t have to be sorry. That’s a new thing too.”

“She’s right; you don’t have anything to be sorry for,” Beckett said and sighed. “But I do accept your apology. Even if I don’t understand what it’s for.”

“Thank you,” Anatole said quietly and let go of the hug. “I’m going to go meditate.” 

Lucita waited until Anatole left the room and sat down next to Beckett on the couch. “I fear he’s getting worse,” she says quietly.

“Or it was a personal vision and there’s no reason to share it with us.” Beckett sighed. “After all these years together, I’m still not sure how to help him. Or if he wants help at all. Or anything.”

“It’s less that he needs help and more that he wants to make sure that we’re both here in the end,” she said. “And it took me a very long time to understand that, including having some time away from him, which was the stupidest thing I did.”

“Yeah, but I bet sex with an Assamite is excellent. And quiet.”

She gently hit his shoulder for the joke. “Stop it.”

“Never,” he said and grinned. “I think, if you can hold down the fort, I might go for the page tonight. Or do you think I should stay in case you need me?”

“I can send a shadow to get you if I do,” she pointed out. “And he would want you to get the page so you can continue on with your project.”

“Okay,” he said, getting up and flexing out his hand. The small bit of healing was done and it felt good as new. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

She kisses his cheek before going to check on Anatole.

Beckett smiled, strolling out of the haven and towards the small museum that was holding the page. He was nearly there when he felt like something was following him. Since he wasn’t paying attention, lulled into security by the fact that Lucita ruled the city, he continued walking as if nothing was happening. He thought of trying a bit of shadow play to see if he could make out who it was before a shudder went through his body as he caught a whiff of who was behind him.

 _Vykos_ his mind growled as he turned to face the Tzimisce. “Show yourself, Vykos. I know you’re there.”

The Tzimisce stepped out of a shadow and smirked. “At least your brain still works. You’ve heard what I have, I see.”

“Depends. I don’t literally keep my ears to the ground.”

Vykos chuckled. “You’re lucky that you’re amusing. Otherwise you would have died out long ago.”

“What do you want?”

“Same thing you want,” Vykos said. “We could work together, since we both want the same thing. It is a pity to be rivals when the primary gain is information.”

“I give an inch and you take a mile is how I remember working with you. And against you. I’m not about to change my ways now. Bit of free advice – would be better to leave the city before Lucita finds out you’re in it.”

“One Archbishop knows better than to challenge or kill a Priscus without a Priest overseeing it,” Vykos said, smirking. “You can do so much better than working with the bad prophet and a Lasombra licking her wounds at the death of her sire. It would also be easy to lift you of those burdens with a simple talk here and there.”

Beckett let his temper get the better of him, grabbing Vykos to slam him against the building. Instead, it was flipped so that Beckett hit the wall and struggled against it as Vykos fused flesh to brick. “Your fight is with me – leave them out of it!”

“You’re the one who brought them into it, Beckett.” He smiled. “You’ll be fine here, considering this doesn’t seem to be a well-traveled spot.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Lucita said from behind Vykos, appearing out of a shadow. “I don’t care what rank you are. Let him off the wall or I’ll happily take your head. I don’t give a fuck if it’ll just grow back.”

Vykos rolled his eyes and undid what he did to Beckett. “So dramatic, Lucita.”

“Considering your levels of dramatics, I don’t think you have an accurate baseline,” she replied. “Get the fuck out.”

Vykos raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Get the fuck out of my city.”

Beckett kept his face free of emotion, even though he wanted to laugh at the shocked look on Vykos’ face. He also was keeping himself from laughing, but it was hard.

“We will talk about this later then,” Vykos said to both, stepping into a shadow and disappearing.

“Thought you were staying at home tonight,” Beckett said.

“I have alarms set up if Vykos comes into the city,” she said and shrugged. “Think you can make it the rest of the way.”

“Of course,” he said. “May I say that it was extremely hot that you came to my rescue?”

She grinned. “I’ll see you at home.”

“Hopefully with less clothes,” he said with a wink. He smiled at hearing her laughter and continued on to the museum. He looked over the fragment, making careful notes before gently taking it home. Once it was secure, he went to go curl up with Anatole and Lucita, holding them both a bit tighter. Yes, darker events were on the horizon, but, for right now, having each other was more than enough.


End file.
